Residence Classification of Students for Tuition Purposes (II.D.1)

STATEMENT OF POLICY

This policy establishes the principles and procedures by which Students will be classified as Residents or non-Residents by Purdue University for tuition and fee purposes. A Student’s residency status also determines the Student's eligibility for certain financial aid programs.

The University’s definition of the term Resident is different from the definitions developed by other non-University agencies. Purdue University does not recognize declarations of resident status made by other agencies. Thus, a person who is an Indiana resident for tax or voting purposes, for example, may not qualify as a Resident for Purdue University tuition and fee purposes.

The University will consider each Student's individual situation when interpreting the definition of Resident. University representatives responsible for determining residence classification are authorized to require such certificates, affidavits, documents or other evidence as they deem necessary for both the initial classification of a Student and any subsequent requests to change a Student’s residence classification. In all cases, the burden of proof is on the Student making a claim to Resident status.

Specific Provisions for Determining Residence Classification

• To request consideration of Resident status at Purdue, a non-U.S. citizen must have one of the following immigration classifications, in addition to meeting all other residency requirements under this policy and the related procedures: 
  • Permanent Resident: The individual must have been granted lawful permanent resident status by the Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and must be able to produce a valid permanent resident card verifying the individual’s permanent resident status; or
  • Pending Adjustment of Status to Permanent Resident: The individual must have filed an I-485 application for permanent resident status and must be able to present appropriate documentation of the filing as required by the University; or
  • Eligible Non-Immigrant or Other Lawfully Present Status: The individual must be lawfully present in the United States in a manner that allows them to establish a Domicile in the United States. The Office of the Registrar maintains the list of non-immigrant and other lawfully present statuses that the University considers to be eligible to establish a Domicile in Indiana, and it updates this list periodically.
• A Student who is a dependent of and resides with his or her Parent(s) or Legal Guardian may be classified as having Resident status if the Parent or Legal Guardian establishes residency in Indiana and clearly demonstrates that the move to Indiana was for a Predominant Purpose.
• A Student who is dependent, and whose Parents or Legal Guardians are no longer married, is eligible for Resident status so long as one Parent or Legal Guardian is a Resident of the state of Indiana, as defined in this policy, and remains partially or wholly financially responsible for the dependent Student.
• Indiana Residents and their dependent children who leave Indiana for reasons such as employment reassignment (normally not to exceed four years) may maintain Resident status, provided they continue their Domicile in Indiana while away from the state.
• Students who are Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel, Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel, and/or Qualified Veterans are eligible for Resident status. The criteria for these categories are maintained by the Office of the Registrar on the West Lafayette campus (see Related Documents, Forms and Tools for a link).
• Once properly classified, a Student’s residency classification will remain in place as long as he or she remains continuously Enrolled in the University and so long as the Student’s circumstances do not change to warrant reclassification (refer to the Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students for details). To be continuously enrolled, a Student must complete coursework in at least two academic sessions (excluding summer) during a consecutive 12-month period. If the Student is not continuously Enrolled, his or her residence classification will be reevaluated upon re-Enrollment.

Failure to Provide Adequate Information

A Student who fails to notify the University of a change in factors or provides false or incomplete information that causes him or her to be inaccurately classified as a Resident may be required to pay any retroactive tuition and/or fees that would have been assessed. In addition, the Student may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, as well as other penalties that may be prescribed by the law.

REASON FOR THIS POLICY

The Indiana legislature, through state statute, has delegated to Indiana's institutions of higher education the authority to determine when a person becomes eligible for Resident status for the purpose of paying tuition and fees. As a state-supported institution of higher education, Purdue University recognizes the significance of the issue of residence classification. Therefore, the Board of Trustees has established different tuition and fee rates for Residents and non-Residents that give preference (with some exceptions) to students whose circumstances meet the University’s definition of Resident.

INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES AFFECTED BY THIS POLICY

All campuses and Students of Purdue University.

EXCLUSIONS

There are no exclusions to this policy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Chairs of the Residence Appeal Committees

• Receive appeals on residence classification for their campus and convene the campus committee as necessary to review and make determinations.

Dean of the Graduate School (or designee)

• Determine the initial residence classification of each graduate Student upon Enrollment or re-Enrollment to the University.

Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine (or designee)

• Determine the initial residence classification of each Student Enrolled in the professional veterinary medical program.

Dean of the College of Pharmacy (or designee)

• Determine the initial residence classification of each Student Enrolled in the professional pharmacy program.

Offices of Admissions

• Determine the initial residence classification of each undergraduate Student admitted to or re-Enrolled at their campus (classification for Students of Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide is the responsibility of the West Lafayette Office of Admissions).
• Initiate a reclassification inquiry upon receipt of any changes in factors that might cause a Student to no longer meet the definition of Resident.

Offices of the Registrar

• Determine residence reclassifications for all continuously Enrolled Students at their campus (determinations for Students of Purdue Polytechnic Institute Statewide are the responsibility of the West Lafayette Office of the Registrar).
• (West Lafayette office) Maintain and promulgate to all campuses Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students to support this policy.

Residence Appeal Committees

• Review each appeal and make a timely final decision on the Student’s residence classification.
• Recommend amendments to this policy to the Provost.

Students

• Promptly provide accurate information and all requested documentation to the University for residence classification purposes.
• Notify the University of any change in factors that might affect their residence classification in accordance with the requirements outlined in the Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students.
• If filing an appeal, do so in accordance with the requirements of the Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students.

DEFINITIONS

All defined terms are capitalized throughout the document. Additional defined terms may be found in the central Policy Glossary.

Domicile
A person's permanent home. A person has only one Domicile at a given time, although that person may maintain more than one residence at a time. Establishment of a new Domicile requires demonstration that the former Domicile has been abandoned with no intent to return. Regardless of age, a Student's Domicile is assumed to be that of his or her Parent(s) or Legal Guardian until such time as the Student becomes Independent.

Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel
A Student who is currently serving on active duty in a branch of the United States armed forces and is stationed in Indiana, but who is otherwise a nonresident of Indiana.

Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel
A Student who is currently serving in the Indiana National Guard, but who is otherwise a nonresident of Indiana.

Enrolled or Enrollment
For the purposes of this policy, it is the status of a Student who is officially registered for coursework at any of the University’s campuses.

Independent
A status whereby a Student is responsible for his or her own financial needs, has not been dependent upon his or her Parent or Legal Guardian for financial support for at least 12 months and cannot be claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s personal income taxes.

Parent or Legal Guardian
The biological or adoptive mother or father of a Student, or any other individual who stands or stood in loco parentis of the Student when the Student was a child (i.e., under 18 years of age). This term does not include an arrangement between a Student and another person made for the primary purpose of 1) obtaining Indiana Resident status under this or similar policy at an institution of higher education and/or 2) obtaining a high school education.

Predominant Purpose
Residence in the state of Indiana for a primary purpose other than attending an institution of higher education.

Qualified Veteran
A Student, other than one qualifying as Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel or Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel, who meets the definition of a “qualified veteran” set forth in the Indiana Code, as that definition may be supplemented by criteria maintained by the Office of the Registrar on the West Lafayette campus from time to time.

Residence Appeal Committee
A campus committee appointed by the Provost (West Lafayette campus) or Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Northwest and Fort Wayne campuses), or their designees, tasked with reviewing and making final decisions on appeals to residence classification determinations for their campus. The appointments include a designated chair for each committee.

Resident
For the purposes of this policy, a Resident is a Student who meets one the following criteria:

1. A Student who is dependent upon his or her Parent(s) or Legal Guardian and whose Parent’s or Legal Guardian’s Domicile is in Indiana:
   1. for a Predominant Purpose and
   2. prior to the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which residence classification is sought.
2. An Independent Student whose Domicile is in Indiana for:
   1. a Predominant Purpose and
   2. at least 12 continuous months directly preceding the first day of classes of the academic semester or session for which residence classification is sought.

Student
For the purposes of this policy, a Student is a person admitted to the University.

RELATED DOCUMENTS, FORMS AND TOOLS

Operating Procedures for Residence Classification of Students

Frequently Asked Questions

Residence Classification Information for Military Service Members

Residence classification information and the application forms are available on each campus's Office of the Registrar's website:

• Fort Wayne
• Northwest
• West Lafayette

WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY

www.purdue.edu/policies/business-finance/iid1.html

HISTORY AND UPDATES

August 1, 2017: Significant updates were made to this policy including: 1) moved the specific provisions for determining residence classification into the Statement of Policy and added provisions for Students whose Parents or Legal Guardians are divorced, 2) moved language about adequate information into the Statement of Policy, 3) added responsibilities for the Dean of the College of Pharmacy and for Students, 4) merged responsibilities for deans and directors of admissions under the Office of Admissions, 5) replaced definition for Emancipated with definition for Independent, 6) replaced definition of Active Duty Military with definitions for Eligible Active Duty United States Military Personnel, Eligible Indiana National Guard Personnel and Qualified Veteran, and 7) removed the procedures to a separate document.

November 18, 2011: Policy number changed to II.D.1 (formerly II.6.1) and website address updated. Links in Related Documents section updated as well.

July 15, 2010: Significant revisions to the policy have been made and it has been formatted in the current University policy template. Approval of these revisions was granted by the Board of Trustees at their July 8-9, 2010, meeting.

This policy originated with Board of Trustees decision dated April 30, 1970. Board of Trustees revisions were made January 9, 1975, July 10, 1975, and May 31, 1997.

APPENDIX

There are no appendices to this policy.